June 2010

June 29, 2010

Today is my final Jbelle post. Isn't that sad? I am fortunate enough to have met some wonderful girls while being on Lindsey's DT for so many years and of course have a friend for life in Lindsey! There are still products left at 75% off so hop on over to the store and check them out HERE! The 30th is the last day to take advantage of the huge savings.

My card today is based on MFT's WSC which is to use Cork and/or felt on your card ~

As you can see, I used cork on my project and the Pure Innocence Mud Buddies stamp set. I stamped the "dirt" on the CORK using Black Momento ink. I cut the top dirt mounds out and then used a hobby blade to cut the mounds that I added the flowers behind as well as the darling image. The flowers were colored using my Copics and then I added some Zva rhinestones to the centers. I then mounted the cork on top of Select White CS that I sponged a faux sky on using Bashful Blue ink. The clouds were cut using MFT's Cloud die and Quickutz 2 sided adhesive paper. I then added Dazzling diamonds glitter on top of the clouds.

The image was stamped on Select White, cut out and colored using my Copics. The boots were paper pieced using some Jillibean Soup DP. I punched the top of the Select White CS using my Fiskars Apron border punch and then added the same Jillibean Soup DP as well as Regal Rose grosgrain with a button that was tied on using linen thread.

I hope you have been having a great Summer! We took my son to the Naval Academy in Annapolis on Sunday for a football camp. We had such a great time. My husband went to college there so it was great to have a tour guide! I would have loved to stay longer but if you know anything about traffic around here, you don't want to be on the Beltway too late in the afternoon on a Sunday! I am SO excited to be going to pick him up tomorrow morning! I missed him so much and it has ONLY been 3 days! I know, I'm ridiculous!! LOL!!! It's not just me, his sister is LOST without him!! Wonder how long it will take when he gets home that she is ready for him to leave again?!?!? LOLOLOL!!!

Here are some pics I took ~

Joey and I at the stadium.

The stadium.

Here is Joey and his friends. Looks like trouble huh?!? LOL!!! They were ready for all of us parents to leave!

June 26, 2010

Verve Stamps just released 3 new sets and the
Divas are celebrating with a new release hop today! First, a little
housekeeping… if you clicked over from the AMAZING Sankari's blog, then you’re right on track. If not, then head on over to Julee’s blog, to start from the
beginning. If the chain gets broken along the way, you can head over the Verve Blog for the full link list.
Oh and we’ve hidden a little prize for one lucky commenter along the hop, so be
sure to spread a little comment love around as you hop! Okay, well, maybe it’s
not so little. {grin} You could win the entire release, so let’s get hoppin’!

And
now for the eye candy….

The layout of this card is based on Jen's SFYTT today! I used PTI's
Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate CS. The DP is from Jillibean Soup.
The buttons are from Creative Cafe and the string is linen thread. The
darling sentiment is from the brand new Verve set called Blue Skies. It
was stamped on Vintage Cream CS using Cocoa Momento ink. I then cut it
out using my square Nesties, added the Kaiser Craft rhinestone frame and then
matted it on a Dark Chocolate scalloped square. The butterfly is also
included in the Blue Skies set and was stamped on Vintage Cream using Cocoa
Momento ink and then colored using my Copic Markers.

Now for my Crazy card!For this card, I am using the sketch Mercy has provided for this weeks
Crazy challenge!

The base is Kraft and the red and blue DP is from Pink
Paislee’s 365 Degrees collection. The NEW Verve stamp set I used on this card is called American Hero. I stamped the sentiment on the Kraft CS using Cocoa Momento ink. The star was stamped on Select White, again using Cocoa Momento ink, and then I colored using my Prismacolor Pencils. I added my ribbon on top of the sentiment piece that I matted with Select White CS and rounded the corners using my Creative Memories corner rounder. I then added the star and a Zva rhinestone flourish. This was a REALLY simple card and I hope you like it!

June 25, 2010

This is going to be a quick post as I still have lots to do today before I attend Verve's release party tonight! We'd love to have you come so if you feel like coming, go HERE at 9pm EST!

My card today is using Julee's new set called Always on My Mind. All of the new sets will be available for purchase tonight!

This is a very simple card! I only used Select White and True Black CS and the decorative orange paper is from Making Memories Chill collection. I cut the top scallop using MFT's scallop die HERE. I free hand did the piercing around the scallops as well as the additional length on the string of stars. The star stamp comes attached to a string but a couple of them were too short so I free hand added the piercing and then used a black marker to tie them in with the first stamped image. The stars were all stamped on the back of glitter paper, cut out and then adhered inside the first stamped stars. The sentiment is also included in the set.

June 23, 2010

If you are looking for my Verve Sneak Peek, please scroll down one post or go HERE!

Today's Serendipity Stamps challenge was to make a clean and simple card. Boy, did this challenge come at a good time since I am short on time so clean and simple works for me!

The base of this card is Dark Chocolate with a mat of Select White and then Sahara Sand. I stamped the darling brand new Nest in a Tree using Black Momento ink and then colored using my Copics. I did paper piece the eggs so they would be nice and white! The sentiment is also included in the set and was stamped using Cocoa Momento ink. I then sponged the edges using first Ranger Antique Linen and then Frayed Burlap.

Welcome to day 1 of Verve's new stamp release sneak peeks! Before I move on to my card, I want to mention that Lindsey has marked everything down in her store to 75% off. You can see what is left HERE!

Because this is release week, you KNOW Julee has challenges and prizes! For ALL the information, please go HERE! Also, there will be a release party Friday night HERE on SCS!! I hope you can join us!!!

I LOVE the new Verve stamp set I am showing you today! It includes 16 stamps and has a WONDERFUL assortment of beautiful sentiments and images. The set is called Blue Skies and you can see more samples using this set on the Verve Blog HERE ~

The base of my card is Raspberry Fizz with a mat of Select White, Dark Chocolate and then toward the top is a piece of Kraft DP from Basic Grey. The Doily punched Raspberry Fizz strip has a strip of Chocolate Chip ribbon on top and Select White CS below. On top of the ribbon is linen thread and a decorative brad from Basic Grey.

The little book is a stamp included in the Blue Skies set and was stamped on the Basic Grey Kraft paper using Cocoa Momento. I stamped it a second time on Select White. I cut just the top page from the Kraft paper and then the entire image from the Select White piece. I then added 3 jump rings to the side of the book to make it look like a 3 ring binder. I matted the book with a decorative piece of Pink Paislee paper and then Select White and finally Dark Chocolate. I then stamped the butterfly, WHICH I might add is also in the Blue Skies set , on Select White using Cocoa Momento and then colored using a blender pen & Raspberry Fizz ink. Of course I then added a Zva rhinestone flourish!

Here is a closer look ~

Isn't that sentiment beautiful? Well, I have a day full of first field hockey for Mary this morning and then football for Joey this afternoon! I will have to fit in my other jobs in between there sometime!! LOLOL!! Oh my gosh, it has been so hot here that football camp was cancelled yesterday! Today it is supposed to be 96 and tomorrow 99. This is some odd weather for us as we usually get this kind of weather later in July and in to August. Thank GOODNESS we have a pool and let me tell you, it has been used a lot so far this summer!!!

June 19, 2010

Do you have big plans this weekend? We are supposed to have some beautiful weather and typical of my life now, I will be carting my kids around to their functions!! LOL!! I have not had any time to stamp and let me tell you, my card today took ALL week! I could not get more than 10 minutes at a time so it took way too long and didn't turn out quite like I wanted but at least I finished!!!

Before I go on to today's challenge, I want to mention that one of my fellow Diva's is going through a tough time. Susan's husband has been fighting a VERY agressive form of cancer for the past few months. Needless to say, he has not been able to work and is out of sick days. Verve, MFT and The Cat's Pajamas have banded together to give YOU 10% off their products and they will in turn donate a portion of the sales to Susan and her family. Is that just the NICEST thing?!? What wonderful people to do such a wonderful thing! You can read all about it HERE!

Now, today's challenge is again brought to us by Mercy and is to add a handmade flower on our card. ETA: I forgot to mention that we are saying goodbye to Lori. She has so much on her plate, she had to lighten the load a bit!!! We will miss her BUT we have a NEW crazy girl to introduce you to!!! Please welcome the amazing and super sweet Maria Bell! Be sure to stop by her blog and welcome her!!!

The base of this card is Soft Suede with a mat of Select White , Dark Chocolate and a decorative panel from GCD Studios. The polka dot paper is also from GCD. I added Kraft tafetta and white tulle under the flower that was cut using my PTI dies and some old Pink Paislee DP. I ran the flowers through my corrugator tool multiple times and then crumpled each flower up, laid them out and then layered them. I held the layers together by poking a hole in the center of each and then sticking the flower wire from my white Zva flower and tied it in a knot on the bottom. I used my Blush Copic marker and added some color on the edges of all the flowers. I then added some clear glitter on the edges of the layers as well. I then added some Artichoke leaves which were cut using my Sizzlet dies. The little frame is from Melissa Frances and the sentiment is from Verve's, Celebrating You set and was stamped on Select White using Soft Suede ink.

The chipboard angel wings and heart are from Maya Road. I painted the wings Antique White and then added clear Martha Stewart glitter. The heart was painted using Rangers Rose crackle paint. The heart and the blush on my flower really do match in real life!! LOL!

June 15, 2010

I don't have a card to share with you today because frankly, I just haven't felt like stamping. I don't know if it is this lingering cold or the fact that we have been so darn busy already this summer! I hope I start to feel like it soon since I have new stamps and products I NEED to use! LOL!!

Lindsey has marked EVERYTHING down in the store to 50% off. You can see it all HERE!

Here are the links to the girls blogs as I am sure they felt like stamping!!!

June 12, 2010

Hope you all are having a great Summer so far! We sure have except I have had a cold for the past 4 or so days and it stinks! I don't get colds so I hadn't realized how miserable it can be. I either get the flu or a full on sinus or ear infection. Oh well, this too shall pass!! LOL!!!

Don't forget that everything in Lindsey's store is 40% off! You can see everything that is left, HERE! Today's C4C challenge is a color challenge. We are to use light pink, light purple and light green. I have also combined the color challenge with MFT's WSC (Wednesday Stamp Club) challenge which is to make an "earthy" card whether it be color, theme, etc....

The base is Kraft with a mat of Dark Chocolate and then Vintage Cream. I sponged the top portion of the Cream CS with Soft Sky ink. The "hills" were made from Cosmo Cricket's Earth Love DP and cut using my oval Nesties. I pierced along the top of each hill. The then stamped the tree from MFT's Love Birds set and the flower from their Blooming Good Day set, using Cocoa Momento ink. The flower and Pure Innocence little girl are one stamp but I just inked up the flower and water portion of the stamp and then stamped the little girl on a scrap piece of Cream CS, colored her with Copics and cut her out. I pieced her dress using DP from October Afternoon's Fly a Kite collection. I cut the little bird in the tree out from a piece of the DP included in the Earth Love collection. I'm not sure if I like the clouds but once I stuck them down, it was too late!!! LOL!!! The cloud die is from Quickutz and I cut it out using Quickutz 2 sided adhesive paper. I then added some Sugar Sparkly Fluff from Our Craft Lounge.

June 09, 2010

Let me start this post off by saying that I am SUCH an idiot! Last Wednesday I posted a card for our sketch sympathy challenge that was supposed to be THIS week!!! So, to make up for it, and since last week I used the sketch but not the sympathy sentiment, today's card uses the sympathy sentiment but not the sketch!!! LOL!!! I must drive Mary (Owner of Serendipity) NUTS!!!! LOLOLOL!!!

Here is my card ~

The layout is based on this weeks Clean & Simple stamping ~ FTL93. The base of this card is Vintage Cream with a mat of Dark Chocolate and then a pattern of October Afternoon's Fly a Kite Collection. I added some stitching using my Janome Sew Mini sewing machine. The beautiful Sweet Pea image is from Serendipity Stamps and was stamped directly on the grid Fly a Kite paper using Cocoa Momento ink. I colored using a blender pen and Pink Pirouette and Old Olive ink. The blue on the butterfly is a Ranger reinker called Tumbled Glass. I used my blender pen to color it on the butterfly. The polka dot strip is also from the Fly a Kite Collection. I have had the blue & brown May Arts ribbon for years! I was so excited to finally get to use it because it matched PERFECTLY!!!! I LOVE when that happens!!! I stamped the sentiment, from Serendipity's Pansy Corner set, using Cocoa Momento on the same grid paper as the image. I cut it out using one of my Spellbinders label punches and then added a heart charm I got from Stampers Dream HERE. The stick pin is from Making Memories.

This week my Serendipity teammates will have played along since this is the correct week to post!!! I know, it's kind of scary that I drive a car and even worse, REPRODUCED!!!! LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!

June 08, 2010

Today's card layout is based on CPS' sketch from this past Saturday. Before I go on, I want to remind you that Lindsey is closing her store and has everything marked down 40% off! You can check it all out HERE!

Here is my card using some of my favorite Jbelle products ~

The base is Dark Chocolate CS with a mat of Select White. The cloud paper is from My Minds Eye and the grass, which I punched using my Martha grass punch, is from Basic Grey's Capella Collection. The fence is dark brown Bazzill CS and the flowers are from misc. scrap papers I had laying around. The flower punch is one of those cheap ones from the Target $ spot and the fence is from Martha Stewart. I stamped the darling My Favorite Things Pure Innocence image (Basket of eggs) on Vintage Cream using Black Momento ink and then colored using my copics and paper pieced her dress using October Afternoon DP called Fly a Kite. I replaced the egss with flowers by just covering them up! LOL!!! I added Zva rhinestones to the centers of all the flowers using my Quickie glue pen.